Rail-joint.



.W. H. DURBLL. RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 6, 1907.

[NVE/VTOR PATENTED AUG. 25, 1-908 BY v Z0115 '1 #g Affomeys WALTER HILLMAN DURELL, OF JACKSON, TENNESSEE.

RAIL- JOINT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 25, 1908.

Application filed September 6, 1907. Serial No. 391,627.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER HILLMAN DURELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Jackson, in the county of Madison and State of Tennessee, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail- Joints; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates'to new and useful improvements in rail joints and more particularly to that class adapted to be used in connection with rails for forming track-ways and my object is to provide means for securing the meeting ends of the rails together Without employing the usual form of fish plates and bolts.

A further object is to so construct the joints that the rails may be readily secured together or removed from engagement with each other.

Other objects and advantages will be hereinafter referred to and more particularly pointed out in the claim.

In the accompanying drawings which are made a part of this application, Figure 1 is a top plan view of a plurality of rails showing my improved means for securing the meeting ends thereof together, and, Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof showing the rails partly in sections.

Referring to the drawings in which similar reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, 1 and 2 indicate rails which may be of the usual or any preferred form and particularly of that class adapted to be used in railway construction, each of said rails being provided at one end with a tongue 3 and 4 res )ectively, while the opposite ends of said rails are each provided with a slot 5 and 6 respectively, into which said tongues are adapted to enter.

The tongues 3 and 4 and slots 5 and 6 are at the axial center of the rails so that they will readily cooperate with each other and prevent lateral movement of the rails independently of each other and in order to positively secure the tongues in their respective slots, said tongues are provided with channels 7 and 8 respectively in which are adapted to be secured rods 9 and 10, said rods being preferably formed integral with the webs of the rails and extended laterally through the slots 5 and 6 respectively.

The channel 8 in the tongue 4 extends downwardly from the upper edge thereof, while the channel 7 in the tongue 3 extends upwardly from the lower edge thereof and in securing the rails together, the end of the rail 1 having the slot therein, is lowered on to the tongue 4, the rod 9 entering the channel 8 and in securing the next succeeding rail in position, that end of the rail 1, having the tongue 3, is slightly elevated at the free end and the next succeeding rail introduced below the tongue 3 until the rod 10 registers with the channel 7, when the end of the rail is lowered, thereby locking the ends of the rails together and forming a substantially solid joint and by introducing the rods into the channels in the manner shown, the employment of the usual form of fish plates and bolts to hold the same in position is obviated. It will also be seen that by forming the joints in this'manner, the jar coincident to the train passing over the oints will be substantially eliminated, the sections of the rail at each side of the slots and the tongue in the slot forming a continuous rail. It will further be seen that any one of the rails may be quickly removed from position and a new rail inserted.

What I claim is:

In a rail joint of the class described the combination with a plurality of rails, a tongue at one end of each rail, the opposite ends of said rails having slots therein to receive said tongues, each of said tongues having channels therein, the channel in one tongue entering from the upper edge of the tongue while the channel in the next succeeding tongue is entered from the lower edge thereof and a rod extending laterally through said slots adapted to engage said channels and secure the rails together.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WALTER HILLMAN DURELL.

Witnesses:

D. H. DAWSON, JAMEs H. SoRANToN. 

